NBA Draft 2012: Underrated Players Who Will Flourish in Pros

The following players will not enter the draft with a lot of hype, but they will have long valuable careers in the NBA.

These guys are going to slide well beyond the lottery section of the draft, and for those players, it is all about finding a role. These guys have the skills do to just that. 

John Jenkins, SG, Vanderbilt 

This 6'4" shooting guard is not the kind of explosive player that can blow by his man for a rim-rattling dunk. He is not explosive, and he does not handle the ball all that well. 

What he can do is shoot. Jenkins shot at least 40.8 percent from beyond the arc in each of his three seasons at Vanderbilt. 

Last year, he shot a dazzling 48.3 percent from distance while taking 4.8 threes per game. 

Jenkins has a quick release and excels in catch and shoot situations. He moves very well without the ball and knows how to curl and fade off of screens. He is also a decent defender; this will allow him to stay on the floor. 

Any team looking for a boost in outside shooting should look no further than Jenkins. 

Darius Miller, SF, Kentucky

It's not often that a player has the ability to make the NBA when they couldn't even start on their college team as a senior. 

However, Kentucky's national championship squad was loaded with NBA talent. This experience will benefit Miller as he transitions to the NBA. He will essentially be filling the same role there that he did at Kentucky. 

Miller is not an elite athlete, but he is an excellent defender, and he can guard bigger shooting guards, small forwards or undersized power forwards. 

Miller is a good enough shooter that he cannot be left alone, which means he won't be liability on the offensive end and will be free to fill a role as a defensive stopper. 

Kim English, SG, Missouri 

Like Jenkins, English is going to make his mark as a shooter. He has a silky-smooth stroke and needs little to no daylight to get it off. 

He is 6'5", has long arms and a high and quick release. 

Last season, English put up 4.9 threes per game and drilled 45.9 percent of them. There is always room in the NBA for a guy that is this efficient from distance. 

English is not very athletic, his defense leaves something to be desired and he is not going to take players off the dribble. This is going to hamper his minutes in the NBA. 

However, if he lands on a team with players that can command double teams, he will be a valuable sub that is integral to that team's floor spacing.